As of 2024, all smartphone and tablets sold in the bloc will have to be compatible with a USB Type-C port. Tech giant Apple had opposed the measure.

In what is set to be a landmark agreement for gender equality, the EU is to vote on legislation where companies will face mandatory quotas to ensure women have at least 40 percent of seats on corporate boards. Annette Young talks to Carlien Scheele from the European Institute for Gender Studies on what it means for businesses across the European bloc. Also as the Taliban continues to ban schooling for girls aged over 11, we meet the Afghan people risking all to ensure girls receive an education. Plus the story of Viola Smith, the first female professional jazz drummer who fought for greater recognition of women in the industry.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Bulgaria to withdraw its objection to North Macedonia joining the EU. The West Balkan nation was given the nod to start accession talks two years ago but progress has stalled.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, made the announcement at a joint press conference in Tehran. The two allies have both been heavily hit by US sanctions.

The European Parliament has approved a bill prohibiting the sale of new CO2-emitting cars by 2035, part of plans to cut net emissions by 55% by 2030. The move highlights Poland's lack of electric charging facilities.

Beijing has no reason to sanction Australia, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The call comes after ministers from two countries met for the first time in years.

The European Union has reached a deal on anti-monkeypox vaccines, with first jabs expected to arrive within weeks. The agreement was made through a new bloc-wide authority formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What a special moment," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said after signing the gas memorandum. Europe is looking for alternate sources of energy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, decried Russia's attacks during their joint trip to Ukraine.

The executive body of the European Union has recommended that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status. Kyiv has sought candidate status since 2014.

The Cypriot government says the vast majority of migrants enter the island's breakaway north via Turkey and then seek asylum in the EU-backed south. Arrivals doubled to about 10,000 in the first five months of this year.

The European Commission has recommended candidate status for Ukraine. Just over three months after being invaded by Russia, Kyiv has cleared the first hurdle on the road to membership.